Cold weather and the potential range of invasive Burmese pythons

Avery, Michael L.; Engeman, Richard M.; Keacher, Kandy L.; Humphrey, John S.; Bruce, William E.; Mathies, Tom; Mauldin, Richard E.

doi:10.1007/s10530-010-9761-4

Cited by 23 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…The behavioral observations by Avery et al (2010) and Mazzotti et al (2011) were congruent with those of Barker (2008) that tropical constrictors, including Burmese pythons, do not display a survival instinct for avoiding lethally cold temperatures. The Burmese python, as a mostly tropical and subtropical species, apparently does not recognize potentially lethal cold.…”

Section: Empirical Observationssupporting

confidence: 82%

“…During this same cold spell, Avery et al (2010) found that, even with refugia and heat sources, adult Burmese pythons did not demonstrate behavioral or physiological abilities to survive cold weather events in the central Florida peninsula, 400 km north of their introduced range in the Everglades area. During 2-12 January 2010, 47 % of hourly ambient temperatures recorded in Gainesville, FL, were ≤0°C (Avery et al 2010).…”

Section: Empirical Observationsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…During 2-12 January 2010, 47 % of hourly ambient temperatures recorded in Gainesville, FL, were ≤0°C (Avery et al 2010). Of nine adult Burmese pythons maintained in individual outdoor enclosures with shelter and a heat source, only two snakes stayed in their heated hide boxes and survived exposure to the cold temperatures (Avery et al 2010). tested whether Burmese pythons could survive in the more temperate climates predicted by Rodda et al (2009) as suitable for possible colonization.…”

Section: Empirical Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Burmese python, as a mostly tropical and subtropical species, apparently does not recognize potentially lethal cold. Instead, it appears to increase basking to counter lower temperatures (Avery et al 2010;Barker 2008), effective for increasing body temperature within the limited breadth of ambient temperatures in their native range, but placing them at risk in more temperate climes (Jacobson et al 2012).…”

Section: Empirical Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…That is, the hypothetical range prediction with the most parsimonious assumptions (most conservative range predictions) corresponded well with the empirical observations of Burmese pythons experiencing local temperature extremes. The empirical evidence from the cold spell also demonstrated that extreme daily temperature changes rather than, or in addition to, monthly mean temperatures need to be factored into climate-based models for defining areas at risk of invasion (Avery et al 2010;Engeman et al 2011).…”

Section: Range Model Approaches Pitfalls and Model Selectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Weighing empirical and hypothetical evidence for assessing potential invasive species range limits: a review of the case of Burmese pythons in the USA

Engeman

Avery

Jacobson

2014

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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Range expansion potential is an important consideration for prioritizing management actions against an invasive species. Understanding the potential for range expansion by invasive reptiles such as the Burmese python can be challenging, because the lack of knowledge on fundamental physiological and behavioral constraints initially forces reliance on modeling to predict hypothetical invasive range potential. Hypothetical predictions for Burmese python range limits in the USA have been highly divergent, from only extreme South Florida and the extreme southern Gulf edge of Texas to a broad swath over the southern third of the continental USA. Empirical observations on python thermal tolerances and behavioral abilities to cope with more temperate temperatures became evident during a cold spell in December 2009-January 2010. We review and highlight important considerations for improving invasive range estimation methodology, deciding between competing range predictions, and the importance of having, and applying, empirical data to aid in decision making.

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Section: Empirical Observationssupporting

confidence: 82%

Section: Empirical Observationsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Empirical Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Empirical Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Range Model Approaches Pitfalls and Model Selectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Weighing empirical and hypothetical evidence for assessing potential invasive species range limits: a review of the case of Burmese pythons in the USA

Engeman

Avery

Jacobson

2014

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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Invasion triangle: an organizational framework for species invasion

Perkins

Leger

Nowak

2011

Ecology and Evolution

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Species invasion is a complex, multifactor process. To encapsulate this complexity into an intuitively appealing, simple, and straightforward manner, we present an organizational framework in the form of an invasion triangle. The invasion triangle is an adaptation of the disease triangle used by plant pathologists to help envision and evaluate interactions among a host, a pathogen, and an environment. Our modification of this framework for invasive species incorporates the major processes that result in invasion as the three sides of the triangle: (1) attributes of the potential invader; (2) biotic characteristics of a potentially invaded site; and (3) environmental conditions of the site. The invasion triangle also includes the impact of external influences on each side of the triangle, such as climate and land use change. This paper introduces the invasion triangle, discusses how accepted invasion hypotheses are integrated in this framework, describes how the invasion triangle can be used to focus research and management, and provides examples of application. The framework provided by the invasion triangle is easy to use by both researchers and managers and also applicable at any level of data intensity, from expert opinion to highly controlled experiments. The organizational framework provided by the invasion triangle is beneficial for understanding and predicting why species are invasive in specific environments, for identifying knowledge gaps, for facilitating communication, and for directing management in regard to invasive species.

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Differential impacts from an extreme cold spell on subtropical vs. tropical specialist bees in southern Florida

2016

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Cold weather and the potential range of invasive Burmese pythons

Abstract: Avery, Michael L.; Engeman, Richard M.; Keacher, Kandy L.; Humphrey, John S.; Bruce, William E.; Mathies, Tom C.; and Mauldin, Richard E., "Cold weather and the potential range of invasive Burmese pythons" (2010

Cited by 23 publications

References 3 publications

Weighing empirical and hypothetical evidence for assessing potential invasive species range limits: a review of the case of Burmese pythons in the USA

Weighing empirical and hypothetical evidence for assessing potential invasive species range limits: a review of the case of Burmese pythons in the USA

Invasion triangle: an organizational framework for species invasion

Differential impacts from an extreme cold spell on subtropical vs. tropical specialist bees in southern Florida

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